Lesson 35: Purpose with “để”

To explain why you are doing something—your goal or purpose—use để (in order to / for).

The Goal Marker "để"

The pattern is Action + để + Goal.

Tôi học tiếng Việt để đi du lịch.
"I study Vietnamese to travel."

Fronting the Purpose

You can put để at the start to emphasize the goal.

Để giỏi, bạn cần tập luyện.
"To be good, you need to practice."

Purpose vs. Person

Distinguish between cho (for a person) and để (for a purpose).

Mua cho mẹ. (For Mom)
Mua để ăn. (To eat)

Physical "Letting"

Để also means "to put," "to place," or "to leave/let."

Để tôi làm.
"Let me do (it)."

Để đó.
"Leave (it) there."

Examples

Em dậy sớm để chạy bộ.
"I wake up early to jog."

Làm việc để kiếm tiền.
"Work to earn money."

Note on nuance

Để answers the question "to what end?" (để làm gì?). It links your action to your Future intention.